Wallenstein was unlike any other show we have seen. The second you walk into the theater, the tone is set. You are blinded by the fog and an aroma that cannot be defined surrounds you. Then the deep beat of the drum begins and you are immersed in a constricting environment. The lights shift ever so slowly to reveal the movement on stage. From this, I thought I would be into it.
But as the show goes on, I got increasingly bored. There was not a lot of action on stage. The performers would come downstage and give their lines or monologues. At some points, I felt as if they were lecturing the audience. There were some successful and beautiful moments in staging and design, but those were purely moments. It couldn't grasp my attention for more than a few seconds.
This is the show where it is most important to know what they are saying, thus far. I'm sure I would have enjoyed the performance if I knew more than just the basic plot line
Design wise: I was underwhelmed. I understand they were trying to match the grid, and the lighting created some dramatic and abstract silhouettes, and I admired the absence of entrances and exits. It created a constrained environment. But that's all the set was: an environment, and more than a play space.
Now don't get me wrong, one of the goals of a set designer is to create an environment. But when you don't understand the language, and the actors are screaming their lines, it's always nice as too have something pretty to look at.
The last 10 minutes however, were riveting. And I only wish to have known what they were saying. I would have been more engaged.
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